This application claims benefit of Japanese Application No. H11-217556 filed Jul. 30, 1999 and Japanese Application No. H11-217553 filed Jul. 30, 1999, the contents of which are incorporated by this reference.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to cameras and, more particularly, to a camera having a configuration in which the bottom surface of the body of the camera is supported by the hands of a photographer and having functions of allowing a desired set value to be stored in advance and allowing the set value stored in advance to be retrieved and reset as needed.
2. Related Background Art
Conventional cameras for taking a picture by exposing a desired image of an object on a photographic film and electronic cameras which convert a desired image of an object into an electrical image signal using a pickup device or the like and record the signal as an electric signal in a predetermined form (hereinafter both types of cameras are collectively simply referred to as xe2x80x9ccamerasxe2x80x9d) include cameras configured to allow photographers to support the cameras with their own hands on the bottom surface thereof, for example, when the photographers take pictures with the cameras held in their hands, i.e., so-called hand-held shooting.
Specific examples of cameras with such a configuration include cameras utilizing a medium-sized roll of film, and camera bodies formed in a box-like configuration have commonly spread. Cameras with such a configuration are normally greater in external dimensions and weight than compact cameras utilizing a roll of film with a width of 35 mm which have commonly spread.
Therefore, a common mode for using such a camera to take a picture is to use it with the camera body mounted to a tripod or the like. However, hand-held shooting may be carried out using a camera with such a configuration in consideration to environmental conditions under which the picture is taken, what the photographer intends to express and the like.
In such a case, the photographer holds the camera by supporting the bottom surface of the camera body with both of his or her own hands as described above.
When a picture is taken, in general, operations to make various settings are required depending on the environment of the scene to be photographed, the state of the object and the like.
In the case of hand-held shooting in which the photographer supports the bottom surface of the camera body with both of his or her own hands, the operations to make various settings and the like are carried out using one of the hands supporting the camera body though only temporarily. In such a case, the support of the camera undesirably becomes unstable.
Under such circumstances, conventional cameras commonly used are subjected to a so-called slip-proofing process such as applying a sheet-like member having, for example, a rubber coating or an irregular pattern thereon to a predetermined portion of the outer surface of a camera body which is in contact with the hands supporting the camera.
However, even when means such as slip-proofing process as described above is provided, it is quite difficult to securely support the body of a camera having a configuration as described above during hand-held shooting when the shape, size and weight and the like are taken into consideration.
In order to allow a camera body to be securely held, grip means constituted by a unit formed by integrating, for example, an automatic film feeder, a power supply battery, etc. may be attached to the camera body. This allows a photographer to securely hold the camera even during hand-held shooting by gripping grip portions provided at the grip means with his or her own hands.
However, when a camera body having such grip means is held, a photographer normally supports the camera, for example, by gripping edges on both sides thereof instead of supporting the bottom surface of the camera body with his or her own hands as described above.
In the case of conventional cameras for taking a picture by exposing a desired image of an object on a photographic film and electronic cameras which convert a desired image of an object into an electrical image signal using a pickup device or the like and record the signal as an electric signal in a predetermined form (hereinafter both types of cameras are collectively simply referred to as xe2x80x9ccamerasxe2x80x9d), an exposure operation is normally performed after manually or automatically performing an operation of making exposure-related settings such as a stop value and a shutter speed depending on the object to be photographed and the photographic environment around the object and after setting a diaphragm, a shutter device and the like based on the setting to adjust the quantity of incident beams of light from the object.
When a manual exposure adjusting operation is performed at this time, the user of the camera or the like performs the exposure operation by setting a desired stop value, shutter speed and the like so as to provide an optimum exposure value in accordance with the scene and the object to be photographed.
After the exposure operation is performed with such an exposure value (a combination of a stop value and a shutter speed) which seems optimum, the exposure operation may be continued on the same object with exposure values obtained by, for example, changing the setting of the stop value or shutter at predetermined intervals using a predetermined exposure value regarded optimum as a reference which is different from the above exposure value. That is, the exposure operation may be performed plural times on the same object with exposure values reached by intentionally shifting the exposure value from the reference exposure value in several steps.
A plurality of images thus acquired are compared and observed after photographing them to allow the user of the camera to perform operations such as selecting the image which seems to be the best representation of the photographic intention of him or herself.
Further, skilled photographers may sometimes determine, in advance, to set a predetermined stop value, a predetermined shutter speed or the like depending on considerations on the object to be photographed such as a particular object to be photographed and what the photographers intend to express.
However, let us assume here that an object is to be photographed again with an initial exposure value after performing exposure operations with the exposure value shifted in several steps as described above in the same photographic environment or that an exposure value is to be reset to a value determined by the photographer in advance after a series of photographic operations. Then, a manual resetting operation at each of such occasions will adversely affect the operability of the camera or the like and will reduce efficiency of the photographic operation. Further, since the resetting operation may take a long time, a problem can arise in that the best timing for shooting can be missed.
Under such circumstances, various means have been conceived to make it possible to store a desired set value in advance and to easily reset such a value by arbitrarily retrieving the desired set value as needed.
For example, one possible means is to provide a plurality of operation members such as a setting operation member for setting a desired stop value, a storage operation member for storing a desired set value among set values which can be set using the setting operation member and a retrieval operation member for retrieving the set value stored by the storage operation member and for resetting the same value. In this approach, a desired value is set with the setting operation member; the desired set value is thereafter stored in advance by operating the storage operation member; and the retrieval operation member is operated as needed during execution of a normal photographic operation to reset the value stored in advance instead of a value set by the setting operation member at that point in time.
In order to ensure such a function, however, a plurality of operation members may be required for respective operations. Therefore, such means can make operations complicated, resulting in a problem in that operability and ease of use is reduced.
The present invention has been made taking the above-described points into consideration.
It is a first object of the invention to provide a camera configured to be supported by the hands of a photographer on the bottom surface of the body thereof whose body can be reliably supported during hand-held shooting or the like using the same and in which photographic conditions and the like can be easily set to contribute to improvement of operability.
It is a second object of the invention to provide a camera having a function of allowing a desired set value to be stored in advance and allowing the set value stored in advance to be retrieved and reset as needed in which the function of storing a set value and retrieving and resetting the same can be achieved with fewer operation members.
Briefly, according to a first aspect of the invention, there is provided a camera configured to be supported by the hands of a photographer on the bottom surface of the body thereof, characterized in that it has a grip portion protruding in a direction orthogonal to an optical axis of a photographic optical system provided in a predetermined position of a lateral surface of the body of the camera and operating means for allowing input of information to cause execution of a predetermined operation and in that the operating means is provided in the vicinity of the grip portion.
According to a second aspect of the invention, there is provided a configuration characterized in that it includes setting means for setting a desired set value, set value storing means for storing data representing desired set values which can be set with the setting means in advance, set value retrieving means for arbitrarily reading the data stored in advance with the set value storing means instead of the set value set with the setting means and for setting a set value based on the same and control means for controlling the set value storing means and the set value retrieving means such that they can be operated with single operating means.
The above and other objects and advantages of the invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description.
The invention makes it possible to provide a camera configured to be supported by the hands of a photographer on the bottom surface of the body thereof whose body can be reliably supported during hand-held shooting or the like using the same and in which photographic conditions and the like can be easily set to contribute to improvement of operability.
The invention also makes it possible to provide a camera having a function of allowing a desired set value to be stored in advance and allowing the set value stored in advance to be retrieved and reset as needed in which the function of storing a set value and retrieving and resetting the same can be achieved with fewer operation members.